UPDATE: Middletown man sentenced in Rehoboth collisions

Monday

Jan 7, 2019 at 12:01 AM

Martin Tuohy to serve 2.5 years

A Middletown man whose drunk driving led to accidents and injuries over a July weekend in Rehoboth Beach has been sentenced in Superior Court.

A judge sentenced 45-year-old Martin Tuohy to a total of 2.5 years in prison, followed by a year of probation, in exchange for his December 2018 no-contest plea to third-offense driving under the influence, first-degree reckless endangering and three counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.

While driving drunk, Tuohy fled from the scene of his first accident on Rehoboth Avenue, speeding and colliding with several parked cars before hitting a vehicle stopped at a red light. Tuohy continued driving, almost hitting several pedestrians, stopping after causing an accident that sent a family to the hospital and then hitting a light pole.

Deputy Attorney General Nichole Gannett prosecuted the case with assistance from social worker Laurel Braunstein.

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A Middletown man has been charged relating to an eight-vehicle collision that occurred on July 7 in Rehoboth Beach.

Following an investigation, police found that 45-year-old Martin Tuohy was operating a blue 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck as it left a parking space along the second block of Rehoboth Avenue westbound at around 6:15 p.m. As he was backing out, Tuohy collided with a Subaru Forrester that was being operated by an Ashburn, Virginia woman.

After colliding with the Subaru, Tuohy who showed signs of intoxication on the scene and rapidly fled westbound on Rehoboth Avenue. As he did so, he moved to the left lane and collided with three unoccupied parked cars. One those cars was pushed into a fourth. The left wheel of Tuohy's truck is believed to have come off at this point, but he continued westbound.

As he approached the Second Street intersection, Tuohy rear-ended a Toyota RAV4, occupied by a Norristown, Pennsylvania, couple that was stopped for a red light. The collision pushed the Toyota into the intersection, while Tuohy continued to drive onto the sidewalk and collided with a bike rack. Yet, he continued on, striking a Honda Pilot occupied by four people before again driving onto the sidewalk, this time striking a light pole, where he finally stopped.

Several people involved in the incident, including Tuohy, were treated and released for non-life threatening injuries.

On July 19, Tuohy was arrested and charged with felony fourth-offense driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, two counts of felony first-degree reckless endangering, felony first-degree vehicular assault, three counts of misdemeanor second-degree vehicular assault and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury, also a misdemeanor. He was later released on $16,000 unsecured bail.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. If anyone has information, they are asked to contact Detective Tyler Whitman at (302) 524-1391 or submit a tip through Delaware Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-847-3333 or online at http://delaware.crimestoppersweb.com.